This may not satisfy a casual fan who wants to hear versions played on the radio, but the entirety of Telephantasm winds up being something better than a hits collection: it captures the essence of the band, why they were important and why they still sound powerful some twenty years later.

Telephantasm is a potent reminder that heavy music can be brutal yet intelligent, that music that's dissonant and gnarly can achieve mainstream acceptance, and that it's been far, far too long since most alternative/indie rock has rocked this hard so well.

Soundgarden, Seattle natives at the epicentre of the early 1990s' plaid-and-flannel rock scene, already have one best-of to their name, 1997's A-Sides. But Telephantasm goes further, spreading itself across 24 tracks and two discs, including excellent live performances alongside commercially released singles.